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Official 2008 NBA Draft recruiting center...

I really like to talk about possible selections and I know that people throw in some draft expectancies from time to time. If I am wrong in starting this to consoladate this chatter please delete this thread.

Re: Official 2008 NBA Draft recruiting center...

I like Rose the best. I think that he will be the best NBA player from this freshman class.

But people will talk about the big 3 of Rose, Gordon, and Beasley. But there are some others to watch out for.

I think that Nicolas Batum is a big time player. Same goes for Donte Greene.

Tyler Smith is probably going to go late lotto or so. Maybe low 20s. I hope he doesn't enter the draft though. I'd love to see him stay at Tennessee a while.

How about Josh Shipp. Never really gets any talk about him. I'd have to say he would be my early sleeper. I think he is just a real good basketball player who will do well in the pros, no all star but defiantly a good pro.

Two players i'm torn on are Roy Hibbert and Hasheem Thabeet. I've never thought to much of Hibbert. He is a real good college player but I think he is to slow to be an really effective NBA player but maybe not. I love Thabeet's physical tools but he hasn't done much at UConn so far he is only a Sophomore. Awesome shot blocker.

I'm not real big on Eric Gordon. He is an awesome player in college. I think he will do fine in the NBA I just think he is a little overratted. I think he will fill up the stat sheet and be an all star level player but not really the franchise player some make him out to be.

Should be a nice draft. It will be interesting to see which freshman declare.

Re: Official 2008 NBA Draft recruiting center...

Should be a really interesting draft no one posistion is going to be stacked like when it was Deron, Paul, Felton, this year there is a good variety of stars. I mean the top 4 guys all play different posistions. Rose pg, Gordon combo guard, Mayo sg, Beasley can play sf/pf.

Also interesting is that even though this is one of the most stacked ncaa years there are two international players in the top 10 mock draft on draft express with Batum and Gallinari. I remember Batum was pretty close to coming out last year and was near the top of the mock drafts.

Re: Official 2008 NBA Draft recruiting center...

Should be a really interesting draft no one posistion is going to be stacked like when it was Deron, Paul, Felton, this year there is a good variety of stars. I mean the top 4 guys all play different posistions. Rose pg, Gordon combo guard, Mayo sg, Beasley can play sf/pf.

Also interesting is that even though this is one of the most stacked ncaa years there are two international players in the top 10 mock draft on draft express with Batum and Gallinari. I remember Batum was pretty close to coming out last year and was near the top of the mock drafts.

You know what I would hate? For the Pacers to somehow get the 4th pick in the draft and have Beasley, Rose and Gordon, be the first three picks.

Haha! After thinking about that I realized I'm kidding myself, I'd love to have the 4th pick in the draft even if that happened.

lol way to go out on a limb there...i really don't think love will make much of an impact at the pro level given his stocky frame and lack of athleticism...mayo will put up numbers but that doesn't mean he'll be a great player. he'll put up his 20-25ppg but on 20spg...buddinger is NOT impressive and same goes for thabeet who has never proven anything other than being a very raw player at uconn...and roy hibbert is way too passive and thin to make an impact in the league, especially right away...

as far as who i'd look at, the only players i'd feel comfortable with the pacers drafting are...obviously the big 3 in beasley, gordon, and rose...possibly koufos but only if he fell...hendrix, a healthy bill walker, a healthy brandon rush, hairston, and my sleeper courtney lee...i wouldn't touch a pg until the 2nd round if we couldn't get rose and then i'd look at singletary and dominic james...

Re: Official 2008 NBA Draft recruiting center...

With a second round pick, I would love to see us draft Mike Green as a back-up pg. I realize this is a homer pick, but I think that he is going to be a solid NBA player...maybe never a starter, but he would be a humongous upgrade over our current backups. Regardless of whether we get a new starter in the draft, we need multiple pgs.

Eric Gordon, Age 19, 6'5 SG, Freshman, Indiana
Gordon was ranked No. 4 on our Top 100 back on July 1 (with Mayo No. 3). But in the past month he's been listed as the third-best prospect in the draft on most NBA scouts' boards, passing Mayo. The two are getting head-to-head comparisons from scouts and Gordon is winning -- but not by a landslide. He's shooting the lights out and has been a much more efficient scorer. Scouts also feel he has a better basketball IQ than Mayo.

O.J. Mayo, age 20, 6'4 SG, Freshman, USC
He is averaging nearly 20 points a game as a freshman. He's shooting 46 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3. His turnovers are high and his team has struggled a little, but it's not a disgrace to lose to teams like Kansas and Memphis. Mayo is not, as some in the media have suggested, dropping like a rock on NBA draft boards. All the people I've spoken with are still high on him. He may not be the No. 1 pick in the draft anymore, but he's not slipping out of the top 10, either.

Re: Official 2008 NBA Draft recruiting center...

We've got a long ways to go. Who knows what IU and USC will do in the tournament to help sway GM's. I also think a lot will depend on pre-draft measurements. I can't believe ESPN just listed Gordon at 6'5". I've now seen him at everything between 6'2" and 6'5". He looks to be about 6'3", tops, to me. That could definitely cause him to slip out of the top-4.

Re: Official 2008 NBA Draft recruiting center...

I love the Bayless kid out at Arizona. And assuming he comes
out, he'll probably go in the 8-12 range somewhere making
him a lot more reasonable possibility if the Pacers can somehow
get their mitts on a mid-Lottery pick.

Unfortunately, EJ will likely go too early for the Pacers to have
a shot. And Rose will be gone before EJ.

Re: Official 2008 NBA Draft recruiting center...

I feel so sorry for whatever team gets stuck with Mayo. He's basically Stephon Marbury reincarnated. He'll put up great numbers, I have no doubt, but he will NEVER make a team better.

Not comparing Gordan to Reggie so to say but I really think that both of them make their teams better. It comes down to whether you'd have a potential Reggie or a potential Marbury. I think every NBA GM would take Reggie every time, yet some idiot is still going to draft Mayo with like the second pick.

Re: Official 2008 NBA Draft recruiting center...

It all comes down to workouts and potential.
Nobody is going to pass him up and take Gordon.

NOBODY knows what will happen in a workout. As for potential, Ford says MOST NBA scouts have Gordon in front of Mayo. And as for someone passing Mayo to take Gordon, Jordan got passed proving anyone can get passed.